'˜Work to be done,' admits Chesterfield boss Martin Allen

Picture by Gareth Williams/AHPIX.com; Football; Vanarama National League; Boreham Wood v Chesterfield FC; 04/09/2018 KO 19:45; Meadow Park; copyright picture; Howard Roe/AHPIX.com; Spireites boss Martin Allen ahead of kick-off at Boreham Wood

The Spireites’ sorry slump continued as they fell to a sixth successive National League defeat, this time at Boreham Wood.

And after going down 1-0, Allen admitted: “The bottom line at any football club is that you want to be picking up three points after every game and everything else is secondary to that - nothing is as important as winning games and giving our supporters some happy times, and at the moment that’s not been happening.

“It’s a very competitive, athletic and mobile league and when you’re coming to these sorts of places you’re coming up against fit, young and hungry players who are coming up in their careers - they’re hard places to play at.

“For sure I know there is still a lot of work to be done here, we have to make sure we’re doing the basic right first and foremost, and then everything else should fall into place.”

The Spireites lacked a cutting edge in the final third and were made to pay for their missed chances.

A slow start saw the hosts bag the only goal of the game eight minutes in.

And Allen reflected: “We should have had a better and more incisive pass in the final third to make something happen and we had chances and a lot of opportunities to find the net tonight and we have come up against a brick wall with some of their defending.

“I thought it was a poor first 20 minutes from us and they could have had a couple of goals in that period - we didn’t stick to our game plan.

“After that we played very well I thought, created a number of chances and opportunities - but the goals haven’t gone in because of clearances off the line and hitting the post.

“They dominated us in the first 20 minutes and we have to be better, we have to stick to the game plan and make sure we do the basics right.

“It’s a tough lesson and a tough one to take tonight, but the supporters gave us a good send off at the end which was pleasing to see - they’re very loyal supporters at Chesterfield and I think they realise that there is still a lot of work to be done after relegation.”